soccer

We decided to give soccer another chance now that Ari is older. He first played right when he was four...and he didn't like it very well. He pretty much stood there and didn't want anything to do with soccer. But 2.5 years later he is a different kid.

He loved it! This year they learned different positions and more rules of the game. He was aggressive, fast, payed attention, and even thought ahead as far as where he needed to be if the ball was being kicked by someone else.

This year was super special because his cousin was on the same team and AJ was an assistant coach. We had lots of fun getting together each week with our family to watch the kiddos play.

Ari's favorite position was midfield because he was able to run all over the field.

When he first started the season Lincoln was only a few weeks old.

But six weeks later, he seems like such a big guy.

Lynlee and Ari have always been best buds and it was no different on the soccer field.

Ari scored 3 goals this season. He says those were his favorite moments.

It didn't occur to us that Evangeline might want to play, since Ari didn't enjoy it very much at 4. But she was disappointed that he had practice and a game each week that she wasn't able to participate in.

But she was a trooper and cheered him on.

I'm so proud at how hard Ari worked this season.

He is already looking forward to another season.

four {Evangeline}

Oh where do I even begin. We've always said that Evangeline was 3 going on 15. Now she's four and truly one year closer.  She was so excited for her birthday this year. The whole week after she would tell everyone "I'm 4 now!" which would then lead to each person asking her "Wow! When did you turn 4?" and her response every single time..."On my birthday!" (in an 'of course' tone of voice) :)

She couldn't wait to try out her very own fishing pole.

We didn't have big plans for her actual birthday since we wouldn't get together with family for another week. But going to Rural King was a big hit.

They have baby chicks, ya know.

And then for dinner we let her pick where we would eat. She could choose absolutely anywhere and you know the one place she was dead-set on? McDonalds!! Blah! We tried everything to persuade her to choose some other place, ANY other place, but no. She knew exactly what she wanted. So we took it and picnicked at the park. I love that about her though...that she knows exactly what she wants. That trait overflows to every aspect of her-what she wears, how she wants her hair, what she is going to eat--she gives very specific instructions.

So all week long she anticipated her party and having everyone come over.

And when I was out taking pictures of everyone, she decides to pose.

This girl loves to have an audience. She loves to dance, and twirl, and tumble. Most recently we had Selah and Lincoln dedicated at church and AJ had to say a few things. When he passed the mic on to the next family Evangeline asked "When is it my turn to speak in to that thing?" :) She's always looking for a chance to shine.

She loves everything frilly and sparkly.

Everyone knew exactly what to get her. Dresses. Dresses. And more dresses. Because everyone who knows us knows that she pretty much wears dresses and sparkly shoes.

She couldn't wait to try one on. Then decided she loved this particular one so much that she wore it for the next three days until I declared it dirty.

The only thing she has been talking about since Ari's birthday back in October is what she wanted on her cake this year. All she wanted was a little princess to go on top of her cake. So we went to get one from the store that we had passed so many times in the check out aisle but when we got there they didn't have it any more. Bummer! So down the toy aisle we went in search for a reasonably priced princess. Apparently those didn't exist anymore so after swallowing double the amount I planned to spend I decided that it was ok because it was the ONLY thing she asked for. I waited last minute to put it on her cake because it wouldn't fit with the cover over it. So when it came time to put it on the cake (with everyone standing around waiting for some cake!), the princess was MIA. Gah! So all that to say, two little unicorns took the place of that princess...and she was ok with it. Apparently we should have looked in the couch.

And back to the posing. She really can't help herself. These were totally unprompted.

My baby is getting so big. Besides her love for fashion she is also very motherly. She tends to her babies all day long, the most obvious one being Lincoln. But she carries her babies around, even ties them to her with a scarf, and packs bags full of food.

She most recently learned how to swing herself on the swings. It was a big deal since she seems to have a low self-esteem when it comes to things that she is actually capable of doing. Often times she will just tell us "I can't" but doesn't even try. So we have been working hard at encouraging her to try and it has seemed to work well so far. Her little successes (like opening  up a granola bar) really boost her confidence. Once she has seen that she can actually do things, I have noticed her being more independent. Not that I'm wanting her to be too independent...because my goodness, look at her. I'm envisioning her in 10 years and my guess is that it's going to look similar to this.

We've most recently been inspired by her desire to memorize Scripture. Ari had a part he memorized for the Easter program at church, and little did we know that she had learned it too and was fairly disappointed when she didn't get a turn on stage to say it. Although she seems drawn towards the chance to perform for an audience, she has had many genuine moments at home where she is enthusiastic about learning them on her own.

We are so proud of her and just love the sweetness about her. She truly is a bundle of joy...and one that can hardly be contained. She is our bubbly one. She gets so excited about the littlest things and can't wait to share it with everyone in sight. Her joyful heart is contagious.

2 months {Lincoln}

Since Lincoln's been born I feel like we hit the ground running. We had been waiting for our normal life to resume once I started feeling better and had more energy. That was definitely the case once he was born and since then we have been on the go and filling every minute of our time with something.

Even after having 3 other children before him, it's still hard to believe how much they change in such a short amount of time.

He smiles all the time now and even coos. He doesn't like to be alone and wants to be able to see people. He is starting to notice noises...he is calmed by the blow dryer, but stirs if he is sleeping if the kids get loud, and has been scared a few times (grocery sack crinkling and Ari jumping up to see him). He has a distinct high pitch cry if he is scared, but if he is upset by something else he cries "la-la-la".

He loves to be carried facing out or sitting upright near our shoulder, even if he is tired. He is on a predictable schedule now. Eats every 3-4 hours during the day then is ready for bed by 8:30 and usually gives us a long 7-8 hour stretch. 

He's so laid back and chill. I guess he doesn't really have any other option except to be along for the ride. But he really is such a happy little guy.

So many people comment on how tan he is. I notice his big, blue eyes all the time. He is so expressive with his eyes, eyebrows, and forehead. He loves it when you talk to him and will often make noises back at you and open his eyes as wide as they go.

He's still growing like a weed. Measuring in the 25% for weight at 10 lbs. 14.5 oz. and in the 75% for length. On his 8 week birthday, his cousin Scarlett was born. With her weighing 6 lb. 2 oz. he definitely seems like a big guy. 

The other three still love to help get him paci's, diapers, or anything else. Ari often times offers advice on how to get him to stop crying. He has even put him to sleep a few times! Evangeline is still enamored with his existence. She will exclaim "Aww Lincoln!" every time she walks in the room and sees him and will randomly come find him so she can give him a kiss and hug. Selah likes to help give him a paci and fasten all of his buckles on the bouncer and car seat.

We've enjoyed every moment of these last 2 months. We love you little man!